Stimulating massage device



Jan. 15, 1952 B. FABlO I STIMULATING MASSAGE DEVICE Filed April 6, 1948 l lwl l l l l' y RI 08 m M mm m mm A J m DU Patented Jan. 15, 1952 UNITED; BATE NT OFFICE STnvIULATrnd i'uAs SAGE DEVICE I Benjamin! abia, NewYork, Applicatior apfille19assumed).19,370..

This invention.;re1ate$;.to lnew andpseful mo me s in ssa e deviceS,. I. ,d;.-. Q ran-i tieularly, aims to -provide a. noveL- and valuable muscle-exercising. v circulation stimulating @land 1 massage device for use in connection; with the;

m; and. l muscles...-

According to the invention, a pair off elongated; and specially exteriorly shaped rollers-are;

provided and mounted-qin end to end relation;

for; independent or simultaneous rotation about s bsta t al y alienedaaxes.c.wher .r ri nsta in exercising the musclesof; a particular leg, stimu atingthe vci-rculation; inreaard.ztheret sandr: massaging a foot to correct a physically defectiye;v

condition. gor;conditions, that.,,-on,e; of, the rollers particularly adaptedto have helpful conta t with;

such foot may be; rotated bY'that-:fQ0t'; fO1T in-. stance in simultaneously exercising; the muscles; of both legs, stimulating the circulation in regard thereto and massaging both feet, .both, rollers may be. simultaneously; rotatedonato. best. ad-, vantage by one foot. and the;other,;to.best advantage by; the other foot ;and,-for; instancein simultaneously exercising.gthegmuscles ofgboth arms, stimulating the, circulationin regard there.-

toand massaging and articulat ngjiztheg bonee joints of, both hands toycormct a defective condition'thereof, both rollers may be simultaneously:

rotated one by one hand and; .thevothen by the other hand.

The invention involves other features; and advantages'as will later'be explained.

For further. comprehension of the invention; and of the objects, and advantages-thereof, ref.- erence will be had to .thefollowing descriptionand accompanying drawing; and .to-theappendedclaims in which the various novel features oithe invention are moreparticularly set forth in. the ccompa n raw n .f rm a mat tion; this view also showing in dotand dash lines a reversed position of one of; therollers.

The massage device} according to theiorm of the invention'shown in Figs. 1 to .3, includes 'roll ers--l0 and H. Each roller is of specialshape, and while both rollers are alilsal they are re-,. versely' arranged, I each iorgindependent. rotation about a horizontal axis common to both rollers asby being loosely mounted 'on a common shaft:

The shaft 12 is journalled inapertures through I the upper ends of a pair of end standards l l' 'and' apairiofauxiliary standards l5. These standards'at their lower'ends are so connected to plate orIblock-like base it. that the shaft J2 is rigidly held tol its appointed location above the top of said base, whereby, with the "user seated in a chair and thebase l6 resting on; the floor, the

two, rollers are revolubly positioned for easy application. of. either footjtofthe appropriate roller, L

or. of bothfeet simultaneouslyto both rollers, and

wlierebyf. with'the baselfijresting on a table or the like the twolroll'ers are revolubly positioned:

foreasy. application of eitherhand to the appropriate roller or .of. to both rollers.

Standards l4 are alike,, and are shown as flat. strips, attachedto. the ends of the base 16, as by screws IT;" and the standards I5. are alike, and

areshown as L-loent strips attached to the top of the base. [6; as by. screws l8.j

. Eac of the rollers 9 and. Hgwhich may be of one-piecec'onstruction', and fabricated of wood,

hard rubber, a plastic or some other; suitable Ina-'- teriaLrhas a. .contour 'whi'chis a surface of revolucon. sothat the roller-at any point along the length; thereof is of vcircular cross-section, and

is characterized by two main formations, one,

elongatedaxially of the roller and in the shape of ,a truncated ogive, this marked l9,-and the.

other,lirn 1 nediately adjoining the formation IS at its end of smallest diameten'of a shape such thatv ajspherically extended surface thereof is opposite.

said en'dof the formation is; Asjshown, the formation 29 is .of substantially completesphericityfexcept at its plane of merger with the formation. I9, and except for a corresponding slight flattening at its opposite end.

The. formation I9 is interruptedat irregular intervals by as'eries of peripheral grooves 2|, thesein planes perpendicular to the axis of the shaft I2,;an'd,the formation 20 is interrupted by/ a plurality of peripheral. grooves 22,these also in planes perpendicular to the axis of said shaft;

The grooves 22 are, relative to the direction of extensionof the formation 20 axially of the roller, symmetrically ,placed on said formation.

The grooves 2|, however, are irregularly spaced.

along the length of the formation IS, with one suchgroove, what'may be called the first groove.

fairly .close to the endof said forrnation'oflargest diameter,'the next or second groove toward both hands simultaneously the formation 20 somewhat further spaced from said first groove, the next or third groove toward the formation 20 still further spaced from said second groove, and the next groove toward the formation 26 still further spaced from the third groove. That is the last-mentioned groove is spaced further from the said third groove than the latter is from said second groove; the said third groove is spaced further from the said sec-- ond groove than the latter is from said first groove; and said second groove is spaced further from said first groove than the latter is from the end of the formation I9 of largest diameter. 7

It has been found, as to the formations I9 and 20, and with the two rollers revolubly mounted as described, each for independent rotation as by an appropriate hand or foot, or both for simultaneous rotation by both hands or by both such grips for best treating a particular abnormal bone-'jointor other defect. With the general center lines of the hands extended at various angles to the planes of the grooves 2I and 22, different circulation inducing effects will be obtained. For the development of other muscles, and for other circulation inducing effects, the device may be reversed, so as to have the roller I0 substituted for the roller I l relative to one hand and to have the roller I I substituted for the roller I0 relative to the other hand. Thus, alternately, the ball like formation of a roller may be so placed as to act particularly close to the thumb-adjacent side of a hand, and to act particularly close to the other side of a hand.

All these advantages are present in applying the left foot to the roller II] or I I', in applying the right foot to the roller II or III, or in simultaneously applying both feet to the rollers. Furthermore, the sphericity of the formation 20 has been found to be especially helpful in quickly alleviating the sometimes agonizing pain due to a metatarsal defect. For general massaging of the feet, the ogival characteristic of the formation I9,

with its gentle curvature longitudinally of the formation I9, has a soothing as well as a curative efi'ect. Also, in certain foot troubles, beneficial results are obtained when a portion of a foot laterally bridges the circumferentially de- 1-3, with said standards similarly secured to the base.

Instead of the shaft I2, however, a shaft 23 is provided which, instead of being riveted in place at its opposite ends as in the case of the shaft I2, is threaded at opposite ends, as indicated at 23 in Fig. 5, and at each of such ends is provided with. a knurled nut 24 and a knurled lock nut 25. Also, in lieu of the standards I4, standard-struc- 4 tures are provided each comprising a rather wide and thin leaf-spring 26 and a thicker plate 21. Each leaf-spring 26, because of its thinness, is secured at its bottom to the base I6 by a plurality of screws as indicated at 30.

Each plate 21 is near its bottom pivotally mounted on the upper end of its leaf-spring 26 by way of a pair of laterally spaced curls 28 formed at the upper end of the leaf-spring, an interfitting curl 29 formed on the lower end of the plate 21, and a pivot pin 3|. Interposed between each plate 21 and the nut 24 on its end of the shaft 23 is a fairly strong expansible coil spring 32 sleeving the shaft.

This construction serves a number of purposes. It allows either roller to be reversed, as, for instance, a reversal of the roller III- from its fullline position to its position shown in dot and dash lines; and it allows both, rollers to be reversed, thus to transpose the two rollers, so as to have the substantially spherical formations of both rollers adjacent each other, as, 'forinstance," by

arranging the roller II as shown in Fig. 5, and

arranging the roller III as there shown in dot and dash lines.

For transposing both rollers, or for reversing a roller, it is merely necessary, after removing the nuts 24 and 25 and spring 32 at an end of the shaft 23, to slide the shaft endwisely the distance required, as the case maybe, to permit reversal of one roller, or both rollers; and then, when the desired roller rearrangement relative to the shaft has been made, to reapply said spring and nuts. 1

In order to limit the size of the plates 21, and yet avoid interference between the curls 28 and 29 at the pivotal mounting of a plate 21 on its leaf-spring 26, the formations on the rollers HI and II which correspond to the formations I9 of the rollers I0 and II are, at the larger-diametered ends of said formations, slightly rounded ofi as indicated at 33.

Thus, the rollers may be arranged in various relations, each particularly beneficial for best treating some specially indicated physical defeet or condition.

Furthermore, either nut 24 may be turned up on the shaft 23, and fixed by the lock nut 25, for

erted by the associated plate 21 on the adjacent end of the adjacent roller, thereby to set up a predetermined resistance to any turning of that roller to be overcome in exercising the muscles incidental to hand or foot action on said roller. I I

Each plate 21 is pivotally mounted on theupper end of its leaf-spring 26, to allow said plate always to remain vertical, for good flatwise contact against the adjacent end of the adjacent roller, despite the imparting of a resilient sway to a leaf-spring, as indicated in dot and dash lines at 26' or 26" in Fig.5, in response to compression of the associated spring 32.,

In order to have such fiatwise contact extend ly outwardly flared as at 34, such flare terminating in a very short cylindrical extension as long asthe thickness of a plate 21.

Said parts 34 and 35, and said roundings 33,

are the aforesaid special end shaping softhe rollers I 0 and I I; so that the rollers II) and I I tions coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A massage device, comprising a base, a pair of adjacent standards projected upward from said base, a shaft supported intermediate of its ends upon the top ends of said standards, rollers rotatively mounted on said shaft on opposite sides of said standards, means supporting the ends of said shaft, and manually adjustable means on the ends of said shaft for urging said support means to frictionally engage the ends of said roller and retain said rollers against free rotation on said shaft.

2. In a massage device, a base, adjacent standards projected upward from said base, a shaft rotatively supported intermediate of its ends on the top ends of said standards, rollers rotatively mounted on the shaft on opposite sides of the standards, means supporting the ends of the shaft, and manually adjustable means for frictionally retaining the rollers against free rotation on the shaft, said supporting means comprising flexible leaf springs mounted on the base beneath the free ends of the shaft and extended vertically therefrom, and plates mounted on the top ends of said leaf springs, said plates being formed with holes through which the free ends of said shaft are rotatively and slidably extended.

3. In a massage device, a base, adjacent standards projected upward from said base, a shaft rotatively supported intermediate of its ends on the top ends of said standards, rollers rotatively mounted on the shaft on opposite sides of the standards, means supporting the ends of the shaft, and manually adjustable means for frictionally retaining the rollers against free rotation on the shaft, said supporting means comprising flexible leaf springs mounted on the base beneath the free ends of the shaft and extended vertically therefrom, and plates mounted on the top ends of said leaf springs, said plates being formed with holes through which the free ends of said shaft are rotatively and slidably extended, said frictional retaining means comprising coil springs mounted on the ends of the shaft and bearing against the outer faces of said plates, and nuts threaded on the ends of the shaft and bearing against the outer ends of said springs to compress said springs and frictionallyrclamp said rollers between the adjacent faces of the standards and said plates. 4. In a massage device, a base, adjacent stand ards projected upward from said base, a shaft rotatively supported intermediate of its ends on the top ends of said standards, rollers rotatively mounted on the shaft on opposite sides of the standards, means supporting the ends of the shaft, and manually adjustable means for frictionally retaining the rollers against free rotation on the shaft, said supporting means comprising flexible leaf springs mounted on the base beneath the free ends of the shaft and extended vertically therefrom, and plates mounted on the top ends of said leaf springs, said plates being formed with holes through which the free ends of said shaft are rotatively and slidably extended, said frictional retaining means comprising coil springs mounted on the ends of the shaft and bearing against the outer faces of said plates, and nuts threaded on the ends of the shaft and bearing against the outer ends of said springs to compress said springs and frictionally clamp said rollers between the adjacent faces of the standards and said plates, said plates being pivotally mounted on the top ends of said leaf springs to seat flush against the adjacent ends of the rollers in all the adjusted positions of said nuts.

5. In a massage device, a base, adjacent standards projected upward from said base, a shaft rotatively supported intermediate of its ends on the top ends of said standards, rollers rotatively mounted on the shaft on opposite sides of said standards, flexible leaf springs mounted on said base and extended vertically therefrom, plates pivotally mounted on the top ends of said leaf springs, said plates being formed with holes through which the free ends of the shaft are rotatively and slidably extended, coil springs mounted on the ends of the shaft and bearing against the outer faces of said plates and nuts threaded on the ends of the shaft and bearing against the outer ends of said springs to compress said springs and frictionally clamp said rollers between the adjacent faces of the standards and said plates to retain said rollers against free rotation with relation to the shaft.

6. In a massage device, a base, adjacent standards projected upward from said base, a shaft rotatively supported intermediate of its ends on the top ends of said standards, rollers rotatively mounted on the shaft on opposite sides of said standards, flexible leaf springs mounted on said base and extended vertically therefrom, plates pivotally mounted on the top ends of said leaf springs, said plates being formed with holes through which the free ends of the shaft are rotatively and slidably extended, coil springs mounted on the ends of the shaft and bearing against the outer faces of said plates, and nuts threaded on the ends of the shaft and bearing against the outer ends of said springs to compress said springs and frictionally clamp said rollers between the adjacent faces of the standards and said plates to retain said rollers against free rotation with relation to the shaft, and lock nuts threaded on the ends of the shaft and bearing against the outer faces of said first-mentioned nuts securing them in desired adjusted positions.

BENJAMIN FABIO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Aug. 4, 1938 

